Heel-fastener.



F. A. NOLAN.

HEEL FA$TENER.

APPLIUATION'IILED H1313, 1911. Y

mamm- Patented 00113, 1911.

WEE ass fi fm wgy.

FRANCIS A. NDIPAN, OF ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA.

HEEL-FASTENER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 3, 1911.

Application filed February 12, 1911. Serial No. soanaRElSSUED To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANCIS A. NoLAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at St. Paul, in the county of Ramsey and State of Minnesota, have invented a new and use ful Improvement in Heel- Fasteners, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in fasteners for detachable rubber heels and its object is to provide a heel fastener which can be readily fixed on a shoe to receive a suitable rubberheel and hold it firmly in position while theshoe isin use and at the same time permit the ready removal of the heel for purposes-of interchanging the heels or renewing them. Y

Means for attaching rubber heels have been used heretofore but the particular advantages which I secure in my device are marking means for centering the fasteners which give ease in locatingv the fasteners uniformly on the two shoes of-a pair when attaching them to the shoes and in such a manner that -.'the heels on a pair of shoes may when interchanged to secure uniform wear of the two heels, fit perfectly on the opposite shoe. Thexfasteners do not extend into the rear portion of the heels as in prior structures causing the heels'in wearing, to break at the fastener and even to expose the fastener to wear, thus the heels can be worn longer. The strength of the rubber structure of the heel is increased by webs extending between parts of the fastening flanges and this structure also causes forwarder back pressure on the heel to clamp it more firmly onto the fastener flan es. Air recesses in the fastener and in the eel assist in maintaining the heel in connection with the fastener. The use of sside flanges on the fastener in addition to increasing the amount of rubber in the "rear portion of the heels where the most wear occurs, produces a more easily detachable connection with the heel, while givinga firm attachment during the wearing of'the shoe.

In the drawings with which I have illustrated-my invention and which form part of my specification, Figure 1 is an elevation of the heel portion of a shoe with the heel artly in section Fig.2 is a section on the line AA, Fig. 15 Fig. 8 is a perspective of the fastener; F1g.4 isa bottom view of the fastener, geometrically developed, as when stamped from sheet metal; Fig. 5 isa top view of a heel with a free fastener, the 4 heel being-partly broken'away to show the 'of my alternative construction, and Fig. 8

is a section on the line B-B, Fig.--7.

In these drawings is shown a portion of a shoe C having a counter 2, sole 3 and a heel base 4 which may be of any-desired thickness or may be omitted entirely. A heel D formed of rubber or other suitable resilient material, is attached to the shoe C by a fastener E for which the heel D is suitably recessed at G.

The fastener E is in the form of a plate 5 punched from a flat piece of sheet metal as shown in Fig. 4, having forwardly and rearwardly extending rim portions 6 and 7 which are adapted to be bent upwardl at substantiallyright angles to the plane 0 the plate, along the lines 8 and 9 shown dotted in Fig. 4. At the corners of the upturned portions are acute points 10 which extend upward in the completed form of the device as shown in Fig. 3 and having one face oblique and one face normal to the surface of the heel base. of the plate 5 extend flanges 11 and 12 respectively, at the forward and rear ends of the sides. rounded sides and lie adjacent to each other with a V shaped opening between them. Holes 13 are punched in the plate 5 leaving a bridge 14. connecting the forward and rear portions of the late, and rim portions 15 are bent upward om the holes 13 along the lines 16 which are shown dotted in Fig. 4;, and which approach each other toward the rear of the fastener E, giving the fastener an outline in general like that of a shoe heel. Holes 18 are made in the plate for nails, screws or other suitable means of attachment to the shoe. The rim portions 6, 7 and '15 are of substantially the same height above. the plate and form a rim which rests against the heel base 4 of the shoe near the forward end of the heel D and on its middle line with the bridge 14. downward. Nails 19 driven upward through the holes 18 and heel base 4, at-

tach the fastener E firmly to the shoe. 'In

From the lateral sides These flanges are formed with this position the points 10 are fixed in the leather of the heel base 4 and serve to take the lateral strain from the nails 19. The nails 19 together with the points 10 are strong enough to resist the stresses of a rubber heel attached to the fastener E and used in walking.

The heel D is formed of rubber or other suitable elastic material and has the usual outer form of a rubber heel which, together with the heel base 4, make up a heel of the proper height fora shoe. In the top of the heel. is an opening 20 fitted to the exterlor of the rim formed by the rim portions 6, 7, and 15 and fitting over them-when the'heel D 1s in its proper position on the shoe. Below the top of the heel the opening 20 is recessed laterally to" receive the flanges 11 and 12, the rubber being left in the form of a web 21 to fill the V-shaped opening between the flanges on each side of the fastener. The flanges 11 and 12 being of the same form on the two sides of the fastener, the recesses in the rubber heels D are of the same form on the two sides of the -heel and the heel may be put on from either side equally well, which prevents thedelay and posslble injury to the heel from putting a'heel on wrong onto an unsymmetrical fastener. the topside 22 of the rubber heel imme diately behind the fastener E is a recess or indentation 23 having a curved rear side 24 sloping downward and forward to the front of the indentation, furnishing a suction recess to assist in fixing the rear portion of the heel D to the heel base 4. An alternative construction F of my device is shown in Figs. 5, 7, and 8. The fastener F is formed by casting, drop forging, or other suitable means and consists of a continuous plate 30 having upper and lower rims 31 and 32 and a bridge 33 connecting two sides of the lower rim 32 transversely of the fastener and forming air suction-recesses 34 on the bottom or heel side of the fastener. A single suction recess 35 lies within the rim on the upper side-of the plate 30. The rim 31 tapers slightly from front'to rear of the fastener to conform to the shape of a shoe heel and carries 'at its four corners, sharp spurs 36 used as markers and engaging the heel base of the shoe when the fastener is fixed in position. The spurs have spaces normal to the shoe base and serving to brace the fastener from-movement thereon. Suitable nails attach the fastener F to the shoe C in a manner identical to the fastener E. On each of the lateral sides of the fastener F are flanges 38 and 39 in the'plane of the fastener, and flush with the bottom of the rim 32. The flanges 38 and 39 have the same form as flanges 11 and 12 and fit into the same recesses in a rubber heel D. It will be readily'understood that the purpose and action of the two forms of fastener are 5. The heel and fastener are then placed on the prepared heel base 4 as shown in Fig. 3 with the points resting on the surface at? of the heel base 4. The heel D is adjusted laterally and longitudinally of the shoe 0 until it is. satisfactorily located when alight blow with a hammer or other suitable instrument on the heel, serves to indent the points into the base and mark its surface indicating exactly the proper position for the fastener to be fixed to hold the heel in itsrequired The fastener is removed from the location. v heel and applied to the heel base withits points 10 or 36 in the marks made by them under the hammer blow. The nails 19 are then driven into the heel base 4 holding the fastener in position. A similar heel and fastener are applied to the mate of the first shoe by the same method. With similar heels similarly placed on similar heel bases, it is evident that the fasteners are similarly placed .on the two shoes and as the fastener flangeson the two fasteners are heels may be removed at pleasure and exchanged, in this way equalizing the wear on the two sides of each heel, when as is commonly the case, the natural wear on a heel is unequally distributed. In remoying a heel D from a fastener,- the upper-outside edge 40 of the heel near the heel based, is seized and pressed downward forcing the inner edge of theheel away from the fastener and out over the flange. By pressing on the two sides of the heel at the same time, the elasticity of the two sides of theheel may be utilized to free the heel D from both flanges at the same time. the two flanges of the fastener allows the heel tobe removed from eitherside first and to be put on with either side first.v "Thus no mistake can be made. causing delay or injur ing the rubber of the heel. depth of the fastener together with its ,posi-. tion well forward on the heel and the absence of a rear flange on the fastener pre vents the wear on the heel, shown by the. dotted line (i1 in Fig. fastener with a reasonable amount of wear on the heel. The longitudinal stresses inthe heel in use pulling longitudinally of the edges 40 of the rubber heel, tend to hold similar, the

The similarity of v.

The shallow (3, from reaching the those parts straight and close to the fastener best embodiment thereof but desire to have 1t understood that the construction shown is only illustrative 'and that the in vention can be carried out by other means and applied to uses other than those above set forth within the scope of the following claims.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent, is p 1. In a fastener for a resilient shoe heel, a plate adapted to be attached to a shoe, having a rim portion to space it from the sole of said shoe, a pair of flange lugs on each side of said plate extending laterally in the plane of said plate, and a recessed heel adapted to spring over said plate and flanges to engage with the same and having a rib lying between the flanges of each pair to stiffen said heel.

2. A device of the class set forth, comprising in combination, an elastic heel having a central cavity in its top having a substantially vertical rear side and extending downward into the material of the heel and recesses extending laterally from the bottom of said cavity toward thepsides of said heel, vertical webs of said heel material intercepting said lateral recesses to strengthen said heel and a fastener fixed to a shoe sole and fitting removably into said central cavity and divided lateral recesses to fix said heel to said shoe. v

3. A fastener for rubber heels, comprising in combination, a plate fixed centrally to a shoe heel, a pair of laterally adjacent engaging flanges integral with each side of said plate, and a rubber heel fitting over said plate and flanges to engage the same, said flanges being formed at the side of said plate to permit solid rubber at the back of said heel and having an opening between them to receive a web of heel material to stiffen said heel.

4:. A fastener for resilient shoe heels, comprising, a plate adapted to befa'stened on a shoe having. frontand bacli end and side walls adapted to engage a heel to prevent lateral movement, and laterally projecting side flanges on the lower edgesof said side walls, and a resilient heel having a central cavity to receive the Walls of said plate and projecting side recesses at the bottom of said cavity adapted to spring and fit into engagement over said flanges to assist in holding said heel on said shoe.

5. A fastener for resilient shoe heels, comprising, a plate having upturned'front, back and side rims and a pair of flanges on said plate projecting laterally from the lower portion of each of said side rims toward the sides df said shoe, and a resilient heel having a centrally disposed opening to receive said plate'with its rims adapted to impinge against the shoe, said heel being laterally recessed below its top to receive and spring into engagement with said flanges.

6. A fastener for resilient shoe heels, com prising, a plate having an upturned front rim, ack rim, and side rims, a pair of flanges on said plate projecting laterally from the lower portion of each of. said side rims toward the sides of said shoe, and a resilient heel having a centrally disposed opening to receive said plate with its rims impinging against the shoe, said heel being laterally recessed below its top to receive said flanges, the material of said heel being left in the form of-a Web to fill the openings between said flanges on each side of said fastener.

7. A fastener for attaching resilient heels to. shoes comprising, a' plate having rims upturned to rest upon the heel base of a shoe, spurs continuous with said rims and embedded in said heel base in the fixed posi tion of said fastener, having faces normal to said heel base and-adapted to engage said base to prevent lateral movement 'of said fastener thereon, flanges on 'said plate projecting laterally from the lower portion of said rims-toward the sides of said shoe, and a resilient heel recessed below its top to re ceiversaid fastener and-spring into engagement with said flanges.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of tWo subscribing witnesses.

FRANCIS A. NOLAN.

lVitnesses:

H. L. FISCHER, J ULE LANGHORNE.

Copies of this patent may he obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, 1). 0. 

